We made it to February! I have never liked the month of January, but in Ridgecrest it's a pretty neutral month. Not too cold but not hot, a little precipitation but not much, no bad winds. I think February will be similar. A year ago I was preparing to leave Boulder, almost catatonic with misery. I almost think I'm having an anniversary reaction, remembering how unhappy I was when we first got here. Things really are better now, though. I still don't like it here, but I get through the days.
One thing that gets me through those days is of course reading. I'm happy to report that I read 10 books in January! One tenth of the way to 100. Numbers 6 through 10 were as follows:
6. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell. Loved this! It was a little slow in parts, but so interesting, all about how the Puritans influenced the creation of this country and how they influence us to this day.
7. The Small Rain by Madeleine L'Engle. This was her first novel, and it's for adults. Supposedly quite autobiographical. Although it was very first-novelly, it was quite readable and good. Would like to read the sequel.
8. 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by Thomas W. Phelan. Sigh. Well, it was pretty good. Worth trying out. His best point was that you should try never to yell angrily at your kids because that just means you've lost your temper, it doesn't help discipline them.
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. I finally got around to reading this. Enjoyed it thoroughly.
10. How to Write Killer Fiction by Carolyn Wheat. I've always wanted to write a mystery, so thought I would read some books about it. This was OK, not too much I didn't know already.
I think February will probably not be such a big reading month -- but I could be wrong. I currently have 6 unread books out of the library, and then there are all those Barbara Pym books calling my name. We'll see.
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